BFF-04 Iraq’s Sadr and Abadi form biggest parliamentary bloc

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BFF-04

IRAQ-POLITICS-PARLIAMENT

Iraq’s Sadr and Abadi form biggest parliamentary bloc

BAGHDAD, Sept 3, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Sixteen political groupings in Iraq,
including those of nationalist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and outgoing Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi, late Sunday reached an accord to create the biggest
bloc in parliament, capable of forming a new government.

A close aide to Abadi told AFP that the bloc consists of 177 deputies,
which is more than half of the 329 lawmakers elected in legislative polls.

As the largest bloc it would be tasked by the president to form the
government.

Iraq’s political system is designed to ensure that no one person or party
can dominate in order to avoid any return of a dictatorship following the
ouster of strongman Saddam Hussein.

The accord came just several hours before the first session of the Iraqi
parliament which was elected in May.

Abadi, backed by the West, who came in third in the elections with 42
seats, could possibly remain in his post.

According to a copy of the list of signatories to the new accord seen by
AFP, it includes Sadr’s alliance with communists which won the most seats in
the election (54 seats).

On Monday, parliament will hold its inaugural session during which it must
elect a speaker — traditionally a member of Iraq’s Sunni Muslim community —
as well two deputy speakers.

Parliamentarians will then have 30 days to elect a new president for the
country, a position that goes to a member of the Kurdish minority with at
least two-thirds of the vote.

Kurdish parties have yet to officially announce candidates for the top but
largely symbolic post of president.

The new president will then have 15 days to task the biggest parliamentary
bloc to form a new government.

The new coalition accord also includes the Wataniya list of outgoing
secular vice president Iyad Allawi (21 seats) as a signatory along with
several Sunni lists as well as Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim’s Al-Hikma list
(19 seats).

BSS/AFP/MSY/0831 hrs